Packing segregated units



NOV- 28, l933 R. A. wALDRoN ET AL PACKING SEGREGATED UNITS Filed Feb. 3, 1932 anczfoazlslescarbounz, JQ

Patented Nov. 28,1933

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Raymond A Waldron, WestfvCheste-rl, `Victor Leto, Kennett'Square; 'and Louis Lescarboilrm HOxford, Pa.

Y Application February 3, `590,556V y a ,A l zclaims. (o1. zii-122) Our invention relates to packing segregated units. The object is to provideimproved means for packing segregated units-by-weight of cer- 'tain products, such as mushrooms, in a common lcontainer, so that any said unit may be removed from the common container Without disturbing other units.

The invention comprises improved means for tting the units in a common container and :improved means for facilitating the removal of one or more units from said container. The respective units may be of any required character with respect to weight or bulk.

It has become common practice among mushroom growers to pack and ship mushrooms in baskets or containers holding about three pounds.

The basket adopted by mushroom growers. and dealers has become standard as to capacity and shape. ij' It is oblong, having curved ends and substantially straight sides. The sides and ends however taper or converge from vthe top to the bottom.

The method of merchandising by means of such container hasproved to have certain objections.

It happens frequently that a customer desires to purchase an amount less than thetotal content ofthe basket, so that this amount must be removed from theY container containing, say, three pounds in bulk.l

In removing a portion of the bulk, the original packing is disturbed, the individual mushrooms are often broken or bruised, and when it f is attempted to removed one or two pounds from said bulk, it often happens that the remaining bulk vdoes not weigh the expected .one or two pounds, moreover, in the handling andremoving said portion, or portions, the remaining bulk does not'contain the uniform size and qual-Y ity averaged in thel original bulk.

The object therefore of the present invention is to overcome'these' objections by segregating the total bulk contained in the basket, into unitsby-weight so that the desired unit or units may be removed from the basket' to satisfy the particular cu'stomers need, without disturbing the balance of the baskets contents. I

Since the character of the basket has become` remaining units.

v1, also with the lid. Y

and size of said basket, so vthat the same shall` pack precisely within saidbasket, and so that,l

at the same time, a separate unit may be readily j removed from the basket without disturbing the Referring to` the drawing: which illustrates, merely by way of example, suitable vmeans for effecting the inventioni- Fig. 1 is a view in perspective ofthe basket having the separate unit containers butwith the lid removed.'

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line 2', 2 of Fig. 1, with the lid in place. Y

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3,` 3,of Fig.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an end container. Fig. 5 is a similar view'of a middle container.

Similar numerals refer to similarv parts throughout the several views. Y i

It will be noted that the basket '7 is oblong with.' its sidewalls straight and parallel andits end walls curved, vin tion. Y Y These side and endwalls however converge or taper downwardly, so that the maximum `dimen' sions of its opening` at the top are, for example,

approximately six by lfourteen `inchesgand its iny `side bottom dimensions are approximately four This basket is adapted to contain, in the present example, about three pounds of mushrooms. In order to secure the segregation by units of weight; as above described, threesub-containers` 1 or boxes are provided as indicated by 8, 9.and 10. The boxes 8 and '10 are adapted to tin the basketends, each having one straight Wall 11 and the opposite partly curved wall 12. The Wall.

11 is not only straight, but is preferablyperpen` dicular to the bottom 13 of the basket. The adjacent flanking `side v-wall extensions 14 are l straight but inclined to saidbottom. .These wallextensions 14 are developed vinto they curved wall 12. Wall 12 is not only inclined to the plane of the bottombut is in form corresponding to a side fragment of a funnel.

The middle box 9 has its twowalls 15, whichlare adjacent the walls 1 1 of the end boxes, are para allel to said walls 11. The two wallsl adjacent the side walls oi the basket are straight and parallelwith said side Walls, and thus `taper to.- '1

ward andarev inclined to the bottom, as indicated 'lllFlgZs.Vv

By this arrangement the several sub-boxes or.

containers titv snugly together, within* the sur- H `rounding walls vof the basket,ltheir weight conf Y the planes of its horizontalI secrec ` sitioned and so shaped as to be-.independently retributing to the snug fit. Because of the tapered Y formation of the boxesand kof the correspondingly tapered surrounding Wallsof the basket, the said boxes are Very easily assembled, separated and removed.

It lwill be understood that the side walls of the basket may extend slightly above the side Walls of the subboxes if desired.

What we claim is l. A mercantile unit for packaging mushrooms comprising an outer container of conventional form and a plurality of sub-containers tted therein in such manner as to occupy thefaggregate content of the outer container and to provide an aggregate content Vof .the sub-containers substantially equal to the bulk content of the outer container, .each sub-container being so poand to provide an aggregate content of the sub-` -,containers substantially equal to the bulk content ofthe outer container, each sub-container being sopositioned and so shaped as to be independently removable without disturbing the other subecontainers. Y

` RAYMOND A. WALDRON.

VICTOR F. LETO. Y Y -1LOUIS LESCARBOURA. 

